14 Day November 2023 Itinerary Kyoto-Fujiyoshida-Tokyo

28 comments

1. Looks like a great itinerary. Would include the Hiroshima museum, right by the Peace Memorial, not a super large museum and definitely worth while. Also check out the Sumo Tournaments schedule for your visit. You can get reasonably cheap tickets and go and sit for a couple of hours to watch. The tournament’s run the whole day. Great experience and not super crowded.

2. >Pokemon Go Players

   As long as you know it’s inappropriate to play in most shrine/temples/museums. Public garden is fine.

   >Day 3 – Day Trip to Hiroshima/Himeji

   Probably not enough time. You can do Memorial Museum and Himeji Castle, but that’s it, if you can’t spare more days.

   Also, depend on when you come, expect Kyoto to be packed full of people visiting for the fall foliage.

   >Night Bus to Fujiyoshida

   Aren’t you using JR Pass (it seems to fit perfectly for 7-day passes), and since you don’t really have anything scheduled the next day, taking the first train next morning is going to be easier on the body.

   >Bulleted Locations are listed in order of importance. If some are dropped for time, that’s ok.)

   Unless you are just skimming through everything, no, there won’t be enough time. Personally I can spend 3 hours inside Tokyo National Museum.

   >Day 9 – Disney

   I have never been to Tokyo Disney myself, but it seems that if you have to chose, Disney Sea is the better option. Idk though.

   Also, overall a lot of time you scheduled for Tokyo alone. Idk, you might have fun with it, but I would consider taking one day off for another day trip. Maybe Nikko, Takao, Kowagoe, etc.

   >Cheap & Fast Ramen

   While there are some cheap places, Ramen isn’t exactly cheap food in Japan. Are you mixing Soba (which is cheap) and Ramen?

   >Cooked Sushi

   …hmm?

   >A5 Wagyu Beef

   If you can spare the time you probably want to do this in Kobe. It won’t be cheap anywhere though.

   >GyozaOmurice

   Everywhere.

   >Taco BellMcDonaldsKFC

   ummm what? McDonalds are everywhere though.

3. >Mexican Food
   LMAO I don’t recommend this. Mexican food in Japan is… well, they try I guess. When I lived there I missed Mexican food the most and I was never truly satisfied with anything I found. If you must, I did enjoy Salsita in Hiro-o (Tokyo). For burritos my favorite was Guzman y Gomez, a chain from Australia which has several locations in Tokyo. Taco Bell, just no… I like Taco Bell but Taco Bell Japan is a mere shadow of the real thing. They don’t even have beans!

4. >Day 3 – Day Trip to Hiroshima/Himeji

   >Hiroshima Peace Memorial

   >Hiroshima Museum of Art (If Time Allows)

   >Himeji Castle

   >Mt Shosha

   This is impossible unless you have 30 hours in a day.

5. >Day 2: Day Trip to Nara

   Going to Nara and skipping Todai-ji in particular is a massive mistake. I would also definitely add Kasuga-taisha and Nigatsu-do to that list since you’re presumably basing the day around Nara Park. Katsuragi is quite far from Nara city and doesn’t make a whole lot of sense here–especially given that the Nara Park area alone could fill most or all of the day by itself. If you were to add something else, Uji, Yakushi-ji, Tosho-dai-ji, or perhaps Heijo-kyo or Saidai-ji make a lot more sense.

   Also keep in mind that this is your first full day. There’s a good chance that jet-lag and/or general exhaustion will catch up with you at some point during your first several days.

   >Day 3 – Day Trip to Hiroshima/Himeji

   You would have to cut Mt. Shosha and the Museum of Art to make this even slightly realistic, but even then I wouldn’t recommend it. I generally advise against doing Hiroshima as a day trip. I feel it’s not worth the time, expense, and effort if you’re just doing the Peace Memorial, and if you’re doing more than just the memorial you’re really better off spending a night or two and doing at least Miyajima while you’re there. In Himeji do not skip Koko-en. It’s right next to the castle, it’s one of the best gardens in the entire country, and it’s practically free if you get the combined castle/garden ticket.

   >Day 4 – Kyoto

   This is mostly fine, although with only two days in Kyoto I would probably skip Kinkaku-ji altogether and focus your time elsewhere.

   >Day 5 – Kyoto

   I really, really strongly recommend ***at least*** 3 full days for Kyoto. Even 3 is pretty short considering you’ve said you’re into history, nature, Japanese gardens, and you’re going in November (the height of fall foliage season). You’re basically skipping over most of Higashiyama and downtown, which I would typically allocate at least 2 days for ([see this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/5wgxa1/best_way_to_group_these_sites_in_kyoto/dea059y/?context=3)). Also note that there are a lot of night openings/illuminations at major sights throughout Kyoto in November (e.g., Kodai-ji, Shoren-in, Eikan-do, Kiyomizu-dera) that can be very worth checking out.

   Again–if you like gardens, history, and taking things easier, it cannot be overstated just how much there is for you to do in and around Kyoto. The big things like Kinkaku-ji and Kiyomizu-dera are definitely worth going to, but keep in mind that they are also by far the most crowded. Giving Kyoto more time means more time to see the less well-known things that really make the city special (e.g., The Philosopher’s Path, Nanzen-ji, Ohara, Kurama/Kibune, Kitanotenman-gu, Bishamon-do, Tofuku-ji). Also be aware that mid-late November is absolute peak tourist season for Kyoto. Even some of the lesser known sights like Tofuku-ji can get quite crowded because of the surge in domestic tourism (especially around Labor Thanksgiving Day Weekend).

   >Night Bus to Fujiyoshida

   I don’t understand why you would do this at all. Even without the Hiroshima trip (which again, I don’t recommend given your time constraints), you could make a JR Pass pay off (although without Hiroshima you might not be saving anything by using one either). With the Hiroshima trip you might actually pay extra vs. the pass by taking a night bus. And it’s made even more baffling by the fact that you’re clearly not skimping elsewhere (e.g., your hotel in Tokyo).

   >Day 8 – Tokyo Hotel: Intercontinental – ANA Tokyo

   Make time for Ameyayokocho–great place for lunch. I also strongly recommend adding Yanaka while you’re right next-door.

   >Day 9 – Disney

   I would skip Disney altogether. Both because it sounds like you won’t be able to do a lot of the attractions anyway, and because it doesn’t make a lot of sense to me to spend a full day of a relatively short vacation in Japan at an American theme park.

   >Day 10 – Tokyo

   This day is extremely ambitious. You’ll likely need at least another half day if you want to fit everything here into your trip.

   Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building is very meh. The view is okay, but it’s really nothing compared to some of the paid observatories (Roppongi Hills in particular) and it tends to get very crowded in the evening. The only advantage of it is that it’s free, but then so is Bunkyo Civic Center and I would argue that the view is much better from there.

   >Day 11 – Tokyo

   Tokyo Tower isn’t really worth going in–it’s much better from the outside.

   For the Imperial Palace, keep in mind that you’ll need to book a tour if you want to go in. Also keep in mind that even with the tour you’ll only be seeing a very small section of the total grounds.

   The vast majority of what Tsukiji Market once was has been closed down and moved to Toyosu. Not saying there’s nothing worth seeing there, but it’s much, much smaller and less exciting than it once was. Personally I’d sooner recommend something like Ameyayokocho in Ueno, Kuromon in Osaka, or Nishiki Market in Kyoto.

   >Day 12 – Machida

   I’ll be honest and say I’m not familiar with anything on this day, but this feels like a day planned around one restaurant and I think the time might be better spent elsewhere.

   >Day 13 – Tokyo

   Roppongi Hills can be interesting (especially if you go later in the day for the evening view from Mori Tower Observatory), but the rest of this feels very empty. Why Chiba? Just to ride a monorail? You’ll have spent the entire trip up to this point riding trains–the monorail isn’t that different. I would use this time to explore more of the older parts of the city–like Yanaka, Asakusa, or Kagurazaka (though this is better in the evening)

   >**Food We Would Like to Squeeze in Somewhere:**

   >Cooked Sushi

   You mean with toppings that are cooked? Pretty much any cheap kaiten sushi place will have a selection of cooked toppings, though the majority of the menu will still be raw. Mid-high tier sushi places pretty much only serve egg and shrimp cooked.

   >Taco Bell

   Very uncommon in Japan. In fact they’ve only just started bringing the restaurant back after it didn’t exist at all in the country for years.

   >McDonalds

   >KFC

   >Denny’s

   There is literally nothing at all special about these restaurants in Japan. Denny’s is arguably worse than it is in America, and that’s not a high bar to clear.

   >Mexican Food

   Very uncommon in Japan (though gradually becoming more common), and what Mexican food does exist is a very mixed bag. I was once served mashed potatoes as a side at a “Mexican” restaurant in Osaka.

   >Crazy Expensive Grapes – If we can find a group willing to split with us.

   Honestly, waste of money.

6. I am hoping quarantine restrictions are gone by then because then my wife and I can go to Japan too. We extended her maternity leave anticipating a reopening. Hoping it happens before November! Enjoy your trip!

7. The Pokemon Go playing will be the easiest part of the trip. Most places in Tokyo are absolutely littered with Pokestops, gyms, and heavy spawns. It’s fun, but can be distracting sometimes…

8. Day 1, would highly consider landing in Osaka (even if it require a layover in Tokyo) and fly out of Tokyo.

   Day 2, the place not to miss in Nara park is Todai-ji

   Day 3, would suggest trying Hiroshima style okonomiyaki, but not sure what kind of picky eater you are, so hard to give advice on food without knowing what you like or not. In any case, I do not plan meals that much, usually would just pop into whatever restaurant or just search on my phone on Google Maps if I want to eat something specific at that time.

   Day 8 and 10, That is honestly a lot of things, I understand it’s listed by priority and not the order you would do it, but I feel you would need a good 2 days in 1 in both case. I personally do not see as much interest in Day 12 and do not really understand days 13, especially the Chiba part.

   As for food you want to try. Cooked sushi ? That is going to be hard as much sushi have raw fish. You can check the menu of some chains like Genki sushi and have an idea of the kind of sushi they have that are cooked. There is some like boiled shrimp and omelet that are kind of classic, then you would have some unusual things like beef rib or hamburger and there is a few with vegetable only.

   Pretty sure Taco Bell is quite rare in Japan, I do not think it’s worth going (and I think I’ve heard it’s expensive). You could also substitute McDonalds for a Japanese burger chain like Mos Burger and replace KFC for some good Japanese fried chicken (karaage). There is a lot of good food in Japan to try, I do not see the point of going to American chains that have worldwide presence, ok, maybe once in two weeks to see if different, but from what you list, it’s close to 20% of your meal (excluding breakfast) that will be eating non-Japanese food. At this rate you might as well go to a trip in the states instead.

9. This is a very ambitious trip.

   Not totally a bad thing mind you, but I made the same mistake on our first trip. While transportation IS easier in Japan than most anywhere else on the planet, you’ll also be doing a LOT of walking. After a while, you’re going to just skip places because you’re simply too tired to want to do it.

   The day trip to Hiroshima while also trying to do Himeji seems to be the worst part that stands out to me. Especially with it being Day 3 of the trip. Day 1, you can forget about this; you’re coming in from a long haul flight, getting baggage, getting JR Pass, getting portable Wi-Fi, taking the train to Tokyo, switching to Shinkansen, getting used to EVERYTHING, taking a 2-3 hour train ride to Kyoto, finding your hotel and taking a train/bus there, then checking in. You will, most likely, collapse into the bed at that point, and Day 2 you will wake up still trying to get your bearings. Your Day 2 seems fairly easy, and that’s good, but then Day 3 trying to go to Hiroshima and hit Himeji on the way back…well, that’s at least 4 hours gone in train riding. That being said, I personally would spend more time in Hiroshima, because it’s worth it, and you can also get your hit of Mexican food from Otis! which is just down from the Peace Park on Yoshijimadori Ave.

   I’d personally split that day somehow, and maybe do a day trip the next day to Himeji to hit the Castle and Mt Shosha.

   As for your food, don’t listen to the nay-sayers here; McD’s in Japan was a treat, Taco Bell was 100x better in Japan than in the US, and KFC was great too. That being said, McD’s is everywhere, and that’s something you can even get before one of your longer Shinkansen rides and eat on the train.

   On the flip side, I’d say ditch Disney. There’s nothing there that is that special, and since you’re already limited in rides, I’d say it’s not worth it. Take that day to go to Odaiba, do a day trip to an onsen, do something else. But that’s just my two cents.

10. I would probably move your day trips to a little bit later in your Kyoto stay. It just seems like a lot of traveling all bunched up and if you’re dealing with jetlag at the same time it might not be a good experience. Since you’ll be in Kyoto during fall, the fall color changing of the trees is a big thing there. Keep in mind that key attractions might be incredibly busy. Kiyomizu-dera during sunset is going to be challenging. Last time I was there they cleared everyone out before sunset and had to get inline. Once they reopened it was kind of a mad dash to get a good viewing spot for sunset.

    For Day 8 you might want to allocate more time to Akihabara and shift some things around. Not sure exactly what Anime’s your husband watches or what things he is looking for. If it is truly esoteric stuff you’ll probably need to explore a lot of different shops to find things. I know when I’m looking for some rare items I need to make a couple trips throughout my stay in hopes of finding things I’m looking for. Also if you’re both into gaming you might want to just explore all the video game shops as well.

    For your ryokan stay usually the first night’s dinner and the next morning’s break will be included so you should be good to go as far as your food options go. Check your bookings to see if it is included though.

    If you’re looking for a family restaurant to eat at I suggest skipping Jonathan’s and going to a Royal host instead. The quality of food is a higher. You also mention wanting to squeeze Denny’s, and that would also be a good replacement for Jonathans.

    > Crazy Expensive Grapes

    I am fan of Sembikiya for these expensive fruits. They have shops in some of the major department stores in the food halls. They also have a few cafes around. If you go to the main store in Nihonbashi they have an all you can eat fruit buffet where you’ll be able to sample a wide variety on their fruits. It can be extremely difficult to get into though, and there might be a chance that grapes are not offered if the season is not right.

11. If you like temples, history, gardens and nature, it probably makes more sense to spend more time around Kyoto. Especially given that you are planning to do a lot of day trips to surrounding places. Something like 5 days just for Kyoto and 3 day trips for a total of 8 full days in Kyoto region.

    Tokyo is a modern mega city and it was not as interesting in my experience. Still plenty of things to see ofc. I just think Kyoto is more interesting.

12. > Day 1 – Get to Kyoto Hotel: Hotel Ethnography – Gion Furumonzen

    This is a great choice, I’ve stayed there myself. The rooms are pretty and comfortable, and the bathrooms are amazing. I took a full soaking bath every night and I recommend you do the same, too. Staff was helpful, although they aren’t there 24 hours so make sure you remember your room key at all times.

    When you say you’re kind of picky eaters, what kind of things are off-limits? Also, what kind of history most interests you?

13. Day 2: This is sort of very strange itinerary for Nara, at least as temples/shrines are concerned, as Todai-ji is by far most important temple complex in central Nara (and then it’s followed by Kofuku-ji and Kasuga Taisha).

    Day 3: This is simply undoable: just Himeji Castle and Mt. Shosha area is a full-day’s worth of itinerary – and in November at a fairly brisk pace.

    Day 4: Bamboo Forest at dawn does not make any sense. Well, in November, getting there around dawn is technically possible (by taking 5:00am Hankyu train), but otherwise ill-advised (since everything else opens at 8:30am or later. If you were visiting just Kinkaku-ji (and not eg. Ryoan-ji), then starting there and ending the day near Otagi Nenbutsu-ji perhaps make more sense.

    Day 5: This would be a harrowing day (starting well before 5am with bus leaving after 11pm), taking you all over Kyoto.

    Day 10: This is a very packed day that only would make sense in this order: Yoyogi Park → Meiji Jingu → Shinjuku Gyoen → Harajuku → Shibuya &rarrl Shinjuku (and skipping Sompo Museum of Art, as you won’t get there before closing).

    Day 11: Kit Kat Chocolatory – word of warning. This is more of a fairly high end (think Neuhaus, Godiva) chocolate boutique, rather than a place to stock up on different flavours (Donki is better for all-around ones; shinkansen stations and airport shops for regional ones).

    Day 12: For a two-week trip, this is a waste of time. You want to visit hip neighbourhoods and see some animals: Inokashira-koen + a day of Kichijoji and Shimo-Kitazawa would make so much more sense.

    Day 13: Frankly, if you want to ride on a suspension railway, then a trip to Enoshima (via Ofuna) might make more sense.

14. If this is potentially your only trip to Japan you should check out Osaka. On top of that, fly in to Osaka then out of Tokyo. It’ll save you the initial Tokyo>Kyoto train

15. About cooked sushi – you might want to look out for aburi sushi, as this is torched though may still be mostly rare. If you can eat rare steak, get a wagyu A5 torched sushi (you might find this in a teppanyaki restaurant as well). Torched Salmon sushi is also great. Usually kani/crabsticks are just boiled fish anyway, so unless the place serves real crab in their sushi you have a good chance of eating cooked sushi. If you can stand unagi (eel) it’s one of the popular delicacies, and it’s served cooked on sushi as well. But if you’re trying to avoid raw food and seafood altogether, you can order sushi with tamago (egg – it’s scrambled), and maki with cucumber, avocado, mango and other fruit/veg fillings.

    Note that this is only based on my experience eating Japanese food in sushi restaurants but not in Japan, so if anyone else who’s been and has eaten in a sushi bar can provide more insight please feel free to do so.

    Gyoza usually goes with ramen, so that’s two birds with one stone.

    I’ve heard Pokemon Cafe food is mostly just ok, but you’re really there for the experience (and chef Pikachu).

    As for other food you could try donburi (rice bowls) such as gyudon and oyakodon, but chirashidon is like a sashimi donburi so skip that; and Kurobuta pork especially in tonkatsu (breaded cutlet).

16. Not going to dump my Pokemon list on you.

    You already have the Pokemon cafe (get a reservation). At the adjacent Pokemon Center Tokyo DX, be sure to get your [birthday gifts](https://nintendosoup.com/what-happens-when-you-visit-pokemon-center-japan-for-your-birthday/). It doesn’t have to be your birthday, just your birthday-month.

    While in Machida, consider Serigaya Park. It has [Pokemon manhole covers](https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/news/japans-beautiful-pokemon-manhole-covers-have-finally-made-it-to-tokyo-082520)! /u/eigo-ha-no-desu recently did a [video walk](https://www.reddit.com/r/bulbasaurmasterrace/comments/nj8elu/bulbasaur_on_a_manhole_lid_at_a_park_in_japan/) looking for them. It looks like a very nice park and probably has a ton of Pokemon Stops and Gyms.

    And lastly, Pokemon Center Kyoto has the cutest Kimono Pikachu!

17. Well since you’re asking for food recommendations…

    Kyoto Station has a whole floor of cheap ramen shops, definitely make time for a wander there.

    Day 4 – go to Yoshimura in Arashiyama, the best soba and tempura I’ve ever had.

    If you’re into your games then there are Final Fantasy cafes in Tokyo too, or the ninja restaurant is good fun.

    Genki sushi in Shibuya is fun and cheap.
    Prioritise Shin Udon in Shinjuku – it’s the best.
    Book a Disney restaurant waaay in advance.

    But most food is great wherever you go really!

18. Idk if anyone’s mentioned this, but Kichi Kichi Omurice in Kyoto is pretty well known. Might be the place to give omurice a shot.

19. Have you considered booking a multi-city flight where your international flight arrives into Osaka (likely KIX) which is very close to Kyoto. Then travel via train (or bus) up to Tokyo area and book your international return flight leaving from Tokyo. Multi-city flights are often only slightly more expensive than a regular roundtrip and it will save you a lot of travel time-cost within Japan itself. I’d highly recommend looking into this.

    I would advise spending at least three full days just for Kyoto. If you’ll be there in mid to late November you should see some gorgeous fall leaves and many of the sites have special nighttime events. To give more time in Kyoto, I would cancel the day trip to Hiroshima/Himeji as a) you will be jet lagged and b) it’s overly ambitious. You’ll have a much more enjoyable trip if you just stay in Kyoto that day as there is so much to see/do.

    If you fly into Osaka and nix the Himeji/Hiroshima trip you could do this.

    Day 1: Flight arrives KIX and transfer to hotel in Kyoto. Walk around the Gion/Higashiyama district for sunset at Kiyomizudera and night illuminations at Kodaiji or (if tired) just dinner and early bed. The bamboo forest at Kodaiji looks awesome lit up at night and I liked this better than the one in Arashiyama.

    – [My Trip Report on Autumn Leaves Illuminations in Kyoto](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/mjt5yf/kyoto_autumn_night_illuminations_at_temples_and/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)

    Day 2: Due to jet lag, you will wake up very early this morning so do sunrise/early morning at Fushimi Inari today.

    You will likely fade, fast, in the early to mid afternoon. Plan to stay in Kyoto and sightsee today until lunchtime. After lunch, head back towards your hotel area and when tired take a nap. Don’t feel bad about this as you can still see at least 1 or 2 more places tonight for the autumn illuminations. 🙂

    Take advantage of some of suggested itineraries that lump sites together already for you. Kyoto is huge and very spread out so you don’t want to waste time cross crossing the city. Some of these sample itineraries and lists of sites by district can be helpful.

    – [Kyoto Itineraries (see 3-day) ](https://www.insidekyoto.com/kyoto-itineraries)
    – [Kyoto Districts ](https://www.insidekyoto.com/kyoto-districts)

    Day 3: Day trip to Arashiyama. Plan for a full day here. I highly, recommend a ride on the sightseeing train and to take the riverboat ride back. It takes you through some gorgeous scenery, particularly for fall leaves, and my husband and I loved this.

    – [My Trip Report and my in Arashiyama Train and Boat Ride](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/mibm8t/kyoto_sagano_scenic_train_hozugawa_riverboat/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)

    Day 4: Full day Kyoto sightseeing

    Day 5: Day trip to Nara. Do not miss out on [Kasuga Taisha ](https://goo.gl/maps/9kr1PZJwq9r7xprU8) and pay to go into the inner area as there is a room where you can see the lanterns lit up. Take advantage of existing one day itineraries as I think you may not have time to get to some of the further flung locations here.

    – [Nara Itineraries ](https://www.insidekyoto.com/nara-itineraries)

    Day 6: Checkout of hotel and travel by train and local bus to Fuji Five Lakes area. Highly recommend using the baggage delivery service to ship your large luggage from your hotel in Kyoto direct to your hotel in Tokyo. That way you can just pack a backpack for your overnight at the ryokan and it will be much easier to travel. Baggage delivery is awesome and your hotel front desk in Kyoto can help you fill out the forms with the address of your hotel in Tokyo. It takes one night for delivery anyways so your suitcase will be waiting for you in Tokyo when you check in.

    – [JapanGuide: Baggage Delivery in Japan ](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2278.html)

    Since you flew into Osaka (hopefully) you can reallocate your train budget to this day. After arriving, visit the tourist info center here to get a 2-day pass for the loop bus as you’ll need to use this to get around. The autumn leaves along the lakeshore should also be lit up at night but you probably just want to relax at your ryokan and enjoy the dinner/onsen.

    – [Fuji Five Lakes Access From Kyoto ](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6905.html?aFROM=2158_6900)
    – [Fuji Five Lakes Sightseeing Bus ](http://bus-en.fujikyu.co.jp/highlights/)
    – [Fuji Five Lakes: Autumn Festival ](https://jw-webmagazine.com/2018-fuji-kawaguchiko-autumn-leaves-festival-1c64e90dbfc9/)

    Day 7: Fuji Five Lakes Sightseeing and transfer to Tokyo for evening hotel check in. You’ll be tired tonight likely but if you want a really cool view of the Tokyo skyline at night head to the Mori Art Museum. It’s got amazing modern art exhibits and you get amazing views from its gallery windows. It’s open til 10 pm usually. Or, if no interest in art, just pay to go to the Tokyo City View. Also, if you walk down Roppongi-Dori a bit, you’ll get an amazing night view/pic of Tokyo Tower lit up at night. The outside view is better of Tokyo Tower, no need to pay to go inside if you do Mori Art Museum/City View.

    – [Fuji Five Lakes: Access from Tokyo ](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6905.html)
    – [5 Ways to Enjoy Roppongi from Day to Night ](https://matcha-jp.com/en/6319)

    If in Tokyo in late November/early December there should also be some gardens with autumn leaves illuminations at night too. Just like in Kyoto, this is a great way to squeeze in another site as they typically close at 5 pm or not feel like you’re missing out if you need to take a nap/rest at the hotel one afternoon.

    – [5 Best Autumn Illuminations in Tokyo ](https://jw-webmagazine.com/best-places-to-see-autumn-leaves-in-tokyo-at-night/)

    If your husband likes anime, I’d also highly recommend a visit to Nakano Broadway. This can best be combined with Shinjuku as Nakano is right on the Chuo line.

    – [Who Needs Akihabara When You’ve Got Nakano Broadway? ](https://tokyocheapo.com/lifestyle/nakano-broadway-akihabara/)

    Happy Planning!

    ETA: Plan to buy a shrine seal book at the first shrine or temple you visit in Kyoto. Then collect a seal at each new shrine/temple you visit. It will be a special souvenir and memory of your one and only trip to Japan! 🙂

    – [What is Goshuin? Shrine seals and how to collect them. ](https://livejapan.com/en/in-tokyo/in-pref-tokyo/in-tokyo_train_station/article-a0002402/)
    – [Guide to Collecting Shrine and Temple Stamps ](https://matcha-jp.com/en/10460)

20. For day 3, do Himeji / Kobe (may include also Arima + mount Rokko if you like hot spring) day trip instead of hiroshima. Hiroshima is way too far away for that day trip.

21. I’d suggest going to the imperial palace instead of Nijo castle. Nijo castle has the glitz and the “I’m the shogun, be intimidated by my wealth and power” thing going on, but the imperial palace has almost the exact architecture and you can see it all for free! Adding to that, you can see the living quarters, the different buildings for various purposes (e.g. they had one just for studying), and take a quick break in the garden outside of the palace. I like to take walks there from time to time and have also been to Nijo castle a couple of times; I get that Nijo is on the “must-see spots” list and I’m not at all saying it’s a waste of time, but the imperial palace is definitely worth seeing.

22. Tip: Mori Tower in Roppongi Hills has an amazing view of the Tokyo Tower, specially at night.

23. If you can get sumo tickets, GO!! I had a blast when I went to the Ryougoku Sumo Hall. Also don’t be scared of trying anything and everything when it comes to food. Any restaurant that is open with patrons is going to be good and you will not get sick since word of mouth ensures that only good restaurants and vendors stay open. Lawson convenience stores are everywhere and usually have good grab n go food.

    Akihabara in Tokyo is the place to go for all things nerd. Games conventional and digital, anime, manga, and most of the stores selling any type of technology are located there. Watch out for the hentai.

    Shibuya Jingumae has some of the best tattoo shops in Japan, with Tokyo Three Tides being the most famous. Book at least 4 months in advance if you want to get ink. Also a great place for clothes shopping both modern and vintage.

    Getting a RailPass is also worth it for how many trains you end up taking and just look up etiquette for basically everything. Learn some basic Japanese if you plan on going outside any major cities.

    Stay away from Shinjuku at night except for Omoide Yokocho, which is a great place to find quick meal of skewers and bbq and it’s pretty iconic. That’s the red light district of Tokyo and there’s relatively higher crime there. Specifically Kabukicho.

    Other than that plan on a lot of walking and using time efficiently since there is so much to see.

24. that first day will be very long…

25. add Moss Burger on the list
    I tried KFC over there and it was ”one” of the worst // even the ones in Thailand are better

    Surely go try the cheap …. well just check this https://www.japan-talk.com/jt/new/10-best-Japanese-fast-food-chains

26. I don’t think they’ll be in season but a bunch of kyoho and/or shine Muscat grapes from any market are like $12 and will be the most delicious grapes you’ve ever had (get both), you don’t need to pay an extra $50+ to buy basically the same thing in a wooden box wrapped in gold ribbon from a department store or whatever.

    I went to Taco Bell in Shibuya a couple of years ago to try the Japan-only shrimp and avocado burrito. It was pretty shit 🙁

27. You have a million comments on everything else, so I’ll just narrow in on the Disney part.

    First of all, ignore everyone who says to ditch Disney. It’s clearly important to you to go, so you should go.

    That being said, Tokyo Disney does NOT do park hoppers (unless that’s changed during Covid, which I don’t think it has). All of the tickets are 1-day, 1-park. So if you want to hop back and forth between parks, you’ll need to buy a separate ticket for each park.

    Another thing you can do is buy a full day ticket to one park, and an evening ticket for the other. These evening tickets are sold at a discounted price, and allow you to enter the park at 6 pm-ish (might be earlier, I don’t quite remember). They stopped selling these during Covid, so this is assuming they start back up again.

    If you really only have one day at a Tokyo Disney park, I *highly* recommend Tokyo Disney Sea. It’s the most unique Disney park in the world, and the best part is, you and your husband should be able to comfortably ride the best Disney ride ever: Sinbad’s Storybook Voyage. It’s this little dark ride tucked in the back of the Arabian Seas section that never has any wait. It’s super charming, has hundreds of great animatronics, and the song is so so so good. This is like the angel to Small World’s devil.

    Tokyo Disneyland on the other hand is a bit of a copy and paste of Anaheim Disneyland. The new Beauty and the Beast section and ride is definitely unique though, and I also understand that by virtue of living outside the states, the park won’t feel as much like a copy and paste to you.

28. Skip Disney. There are far better things to do than that; it’ll just feel like any other Disney you might see in the US or.. anywhere for that matter. Except maybe busier.

    If you want another museum/art place, I recommend the National Art Center in Tokyo Midtown. It’s walking distance from Roppongi Hills and a very short train ride from Shibuya.